A big shift in my household for reducing waste was eliminating “convenience” foods from our pantry. We haven’t eliminated EVERYTHING (because let’s be real, when Mark arrived home on Friday with a box of double stuffed Oreo’s, who was I to stay no?) but we are working on phasing out pre-packaged foods in favour of making our own. Homemade granola has been one of my favourite things to make. It goes so well with homemade granola, and packs up nicely for afternoon snacks or rushed handfuls on the way out the door.

Granola is one of those magical recipes that changes each time I make it. It depends on what nuts/fruit are in the cupboard, or how heavy-handed I decide to be with the cinnamon. Feel free to tweak, adapt, & interpret this recipe to suit your fancy.

Start off by either chopping up the nuts or whizzing them in a food processor a few times. They don’t need to be super small, just sort of chopped. Put that into a decent sized bowl. Add the oats & dried fruit.

Put the coconut oil & honey (or syrup - whatever) into a little saucepan and get it all melty over medium heat. When it’s liquid, add in the cinnamon + nutmeg.

Pour the warm mixture over the nut mixture. Stir it up.

Spread the deliciousness onto a baking pan as evenly as you can, & smush it down a bit. Sprinkle the kosher salt on top.

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes. The granola should look golden brown, but not dark - don’t overcook it! Your house will smell amazing.

Let it cool down completely before you put it into containers. This will keep it in better “chunks”.

And that’s it! Super easy!

Variations Favs

Try throwing in some pepita seeds, chia, hemp hearts

Make a tropical version with dried ginger, pineapple, mango, and coconut pieces

A few months ago I read an article about book clubs. More specifically, Cookbook clubs. Simply put, a cookbook club is a group of people who all decide to read the same cookbook, pick a recipe, make said recipe, and then get together to enjoy the results. The idea immediately grabbed me because a) I love cookbooks, and, b) I love eating.

After pitching the idea to my friends (and some friends of friends), we had our first meeting on May 13th to pick a cookbook. We decided on "Oh She Glows" by Angela Liddon. "Oh She Glows" is a fantastic cookbook, blog, and app. I'm not a full-time vegan, but if Angela was my personal chef I could be. The recipes are simple to make and I honestly have enjoyed every one I've tried.

My contribution to the group was the Protein Power Goddess Bowl. It's a flavourful, veggie-filled bowl with a delicious Lemon-Tahini dressing. Barley & lentils make it really hearty, and it's even better heated up as leftovers for lunch!

It was a great night, and a lovely way to bring friends together to enjoy good food. If you're looking for the Oh She Glows cookbook, follow the link on the cover photo above. My personal copy was purchased from Chapters, but I've seen it stocked at Costco occasionally. Keep your eyes peeled!